Construction marketing: Advertising for builders

Why is marketing for construction companies important?

Whether you’re in need of more work or hiring extra staff, marketing is an essential part of business growth.

It’s no different for anyone in the construction industry. And if you do it right, you could see plenty of new job leads in no time at all.

Which is why there’s never a better time than the present to start planning and budgeting your marketing strategy.

By following our tips and tricks, you’ll rapidly get your name in front of new customers. As well as avoiding several common marketing mistakes that hinder new and old businesses alike.

How to start marketing for construction companies

When it comes to business marketing for the first time, it can seem pretty overwhelming. There’s a lot to consider, including both digital and physical marketing elements, as well as just where to start.

That’s why, much like when starting a construction business, we suggest creating a marketing plan.

This plan should include the marketing options you intend to use and research on the following:

• Customer research – who are your customers, where are they based, what is their age range, etc… You can’t do much until you know who your customers are. Nor will they be able to find you if they don’t know your construction company name.
• Your services – are you offering conversions and extensions or emergency building jobs? Your marketing needs to show off your business specialities so you can meet your ideal customer’s needs
• Customer locations – where does your ideal customer turn, in terms of marketing, for the solution to their problem? You need to locate this and then market in these spaces

There is, of course, a lot more to creating a marketing plan than these three areas. That’s why we recommend downloading our free marketing planning guide for more help.

Common marketing for construction companies

As a builder, your services are going to be in demand throughout the year for a variety of people.

This means that you have the advantage of being able to use a variety of marketing channels. Helping your business to be seen all year round.

So, in any case, you should consider using at least some of the following traditional advertising methods. This is especially true if your target demographic falls into these marketing areas:

• TV
• Radio
• Newspaper
• Online marketing
• Email marketing
• Online directories

However, it’s not just about being seen either. Good advertising for builders is also about building an online profile that makes customers trust you.

This means building a website, investing in social media, and doing SEO optimisation.

Physical advertising for builders

Even though a strong online marketing presence is essential for any business, it’s important not to ignore physical marketing.

When done right, physical marketing can be the cornerstone of your marketing strategy, especially for local work. With that in mind, here are the best physical marketing ideas for a construction company to consider:

1. Print marketing

From flyers and physical adverts to local newspaper ads, there is a lot that print marketing covers. And contrary to popular belief, it’s certainly not a dead-end marketing option.

Print marketing is truly unique in the way that it allows you to send your marketing straight to your customers. But it also needs to be done right to have the greatest impact.

That’s why we’d recommend reading our print marketing article to find out how to do just this.

2. Community bulletin boards

Not as common as they used to be, community bulletin boards are still an ideal marketing space for small businesses.

Dotted around town, community centres, and sports venues, these boards give you an obvious spot to place a business advert.

3. Networking

Networking, particularly in the construction trade, is one the strongest physical marketing tactics you have.

Much of trade work comes via customer word of mouth, and that can be increased via contacting other local businesses. But these businesses shouldn’t be competitors. Instead, they should be the sorts of companies you might work with.

Scaffolding and bricklaying companies go hand in hand with builder businesses. So, by reaching out to them, they could send more work your way.

4. Company signage

There’s nothing like having your marketing perform for free, and that’s essentially what you’re doing by investing in company signage.

From the side of your van to your uniform, good company signage will advertise your business as you work.

Digital marketing for construction companies

With physical advertising covered, let’s look at the meat of your marketing strategy – digital marketing.

Nowadays, most customers search online for trade services, which means you need to establish yourself in this space.

Here are the core digital marketing areas we suggest investing in for your construction business:

1. A company website

When it comes to establishing yourself online, your website is going to be the face of your business.

It’s the first thing many new customers will see, so you need to make sure it functions correctly.

First things first, you should do all of the following to bring your website up to scratch:

• Ensure that the information provided on your website is accurate and up-to-date
• Double-check that every link and button on your site works
• Re-read the copy on every page and correct any mistakes
• Make sure that your website has a functioning mobile version, as most users will be searching via their phone

Naturally, if you don’t yet have a website for your business, then you need to build one. Read our piece on building small business websites to get started.

2. An active social media presence

As any good tradesperson knows, an industry like building is very visual. And that makes it the perfect business to have an active social media presence.

Whether through Instagram, Facebook, or even TikTok, aim to start uploading high-quality photos and videos of your latest jobs.

These could include:

• A timelapse of your project from start to finish
• A walkthrough of your current project at different stages of the build
• Advice pieces on how to do tricky parts of a construction job
• Client reviews
• Updates on the latest construction news that might be of interest to your potential customers

Once you’ve made these posts, be sure to tag your location. This will help local customers find you when they search for tradespeople near them.

3. PPC advertising

Also known as Pay-per-click, PPC relates to the adverts you see at the top of a Google results page.

They’re one of the best ways to generate leads as they put you at the top of a customer’s search.

There’s a lot that goes into PPC, too much to cover here, so we recommend reaching out to a PPC specialist. You can also read our blog explaining PPC advertising for more information as well.

4. Joining online directories

You might not know it, but online directories are one of the most common ways for customers to find tradespeople. Which makes signing for one a great way to improve your odds of getting more jobs.

Checkatrade is the biggest online directory operating in the UK. Why not get in touch with our team today to learn about what we can offer your business?

SEO tips for construction companies

While the core of what we’ve discussed in this article has been focused on marketing directly, don’t ignore SEO.

SEO relates to the optimisation of your pages so that you appear higher up Google search, for free.

You can learn more about what SEO entails in our article on boosting your SEO. But to start with, you should think about doing the following:

• Write and deliver quality, informative content
• Vlogging your work for customers to see
• Using keywords in your copy
• Building external links to promote your content
• Using local terms in your copy to appear in local searches

Get marketing with Checkatrade

With that out of the way, you should have everything you need to start marketing your construction business.

But did you know that Checkatrade can help your marketing even further?

As part of your profile, you can show the geographical area you cover with your services. As well as making use of plenty of free marketing materials.

Speak with our team today to learn more about our vetting process and business discounts.

Construction marketing FAQs

How do I market a new building company?

Building a customer base from scratch is a challenge for a new company. Doing the basics of setting up your social profiles and website are good first steps.

But you’ll need to start working with people, building your portfolio of work, and collecting reviews.

For more information on doing this, we suggest reading our guide on how to start a construction company.

Content disclaimer: This content has been created for general information purposes and should not be taken as formal advice. Read our full disclaimer here.